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Discover a selection of models that will be on sale this week, from tomorrow, Monday, December 8, 2025, until Thursday, December 11, on our website. AUTOJAUNE COLLECTION
en vente cette semaine: C.I.J. – Renault Frégate Grand Pavoix 3-52 – C.I.J. – Renault Frégate Grand Pavoix 3-52 – Corgi Juniors – Rover 2000 tc rallye Monte Carlo 1965 322 – Corgi Toys – Austin A60 motor school (europe) 255
I remember...
…as if it were yesterday, from the very spot where I first saw a Jaguar E-Type.
It was in a long, tree-lined driveway, a stone’s throw from the family home in Compiègne: a metallic anthracite coupe with right-hand drive, registered in Great Britain.
For people of my generation, born in the early sixties, the Jaguar E-Type is an iconic car. Its flowing lines, seemingly designed for speed, defined an era.
Yet, it’s a car that never shone on the racetrack. A paradox. Its original profile is utterly innovative.
Like the Lamborghini Miura, the E-Type is a landmark in the history of automotive design. It’s a challenge for any car manufacturer to replace such a significant vehicle. Jaguar will never be able to make us forget it.
All toy manufacturers have understood the appeal of having a replica of such an icon in their catalog.
Surprisingly, it’s not the Anglo-Saxon toy manufacturers who are delivering the best reproductions. Corgi Toys has two examples for sale, and Dinky Toys is opting for the convertible version, which is less striking in my opinion.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Corgi Toys – Jaguar Type E avec hard top 307
modèle en vente cette semaine : Corgi Toys – Jaguar Type E compétition 312
Above all, they’ll be offering reproductions at around 1/45 scale, which are bland and disappointing.
Later, the two British competitors will each offer a coupe version, at 1/43 scale, which is much better. It’s a bit late, though; the Miura had already arrived.
This week we have a beautiful set of Jaguar E-Types, from the same collector, who also owned the car… We don’t have it for sale, unfortunately! I would certainly have kept it anyway!
On the other hand, we have two coupes from Dinky Toys, in their less common color variations. I particularly like the metallic purple one. This unusual color is emblematic of an era, the post-1968 period. With its light blue interior, it certainly stands out. The bronze version, more understated, also represents a period, the 1970s, during which this color was fashionable at Dinky Toys (Range Rover, Ferrari 312B2, Corvette, Zodiac…).
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB Jaguar Type E 2+2 131
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Jaguar Type E 2+2 131
… Let’s stay with Dinky Toys and look at two unusual models.
Two examples of early offshoring.
The first is from Hong Kong. It belongs to a 1/60 scale series, primarily intended for the American market, a major consumer of 1/60 and 1/75 scale models. It was a response to Matchox, which then dominated this market. The design is well executed. This series is quite interesting and difficult to find.
The other model comes from Calcutta, India. Dinky Toys had signed an agreement with an Indian company, Kumar, to produce genuine Dinky Toys in India. The first ones even bore the name “Dinky Toys made in India.” For various reasons, including selling them at reduced prices in Indian bazaars in Great Britain, which understandably caused some embarrassment in Liverpool regarding licensed retailers, the company’s management chose to name them “Nicky Toys.” This week, we’re featuring a silver Nicky Toys model. It still has beautiful, presentable wheels, and its finish is quite acceptable, unlike the very latest models. I also wonder about the current appeal of this series and the very high prices sometimes seen, which are completely unjustified in my opinion. Collectors sometimes need a heads-up. The one for sale will be reasonably priced.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys Hong Kong – Jaguar Type E 11
modèle en vente cette semaine : Nicky Toys – Jaguar Type E coupé 120
The Tekno version left its mark on a generation of children. To be more precise, it’s its design, with its steering wheels, that remains etched in their memories. In my 42 years in the business, I’ve lost count of the number of times people have told me about their childhood memories with this model, demonstrating the steering mechanism with their hands.
For those feeling nostalgic, we have the Tekno version and also the Joal, loosely based on the Danish model. I appreciate the vibrant colors of the Spanish versions…and their low price, which allows for a wide range of color variations. And there are plenty!
modèle en vente cette semaine : Tekno – Jaguar Type E coupé 927
modèle en vente cette semaine : Joal – Jaguar Type E coupé 100
Politoys also produced a beautiful reproduction, similar in size to the Tekno. It was produced during a pivotal period for Politoys, when the Milanese manufacturer realized it needed to move upmarket.
The model features numerous chrome-plated plastic parts and, most notably, a zamac chassis. Its plastic body is painted, giving the model a handsome appearance. We have a road-going version and the less common version, decorated in the colors of a popular singer of the time, Zanzara. It’s worth noting that our Italian friends chose a British car for this singing icon, clearly demonstrating that this English Jaguar epitomized an era: that of Swinging London.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Politoys – Jaguar Type E avec hard top 89
modèle en vente cette semaine : Politoys – Jaguar Type E Rita Pavone (Fibre Glass) 89
In my opinion, the most beautiful reproduction of the Jaguar E-Type is the one offered by Minialuxe in France. It’s perfect, well-proportioned. At that time, Minialuxe used high-quality plastic that didn’t warp. The model has many separate chrome-plated plastic parts. The Norev version is also well-made, although a notch below the Minialuxe. We have a bright yellow version for sale this week.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Minialuxe – Jaguar Type E cabriolet
modèle en vente cette semaine : Norev – Jaguar Type E 2+2 156
Did you say quantity?
I’ve always appreciated rare pieces. A former Parisian dealer asked me at the last Milan car show in November how many models I had in my collection.
I confess I’m unable to answer that question.
Quantity isn’t an important criterion for judging a collection.
However, the quality of preservation and the rarity of the pieces are.
This week, while browsing photos of the models up for sale, I couldn’t help but smile, remembering the difficulty I had in finding some of the models I’d planned to sell.
Take the Dodge flatbed truck in the colors of the Danish rescue company Falck. We know that this private company handled a number of services, ranging from firefighting to roadside assistance and patient transport.
This Dodge with a tipper bed is unique and had a very short production run. It’s easier for a toy manufacturer to sell a large ladder truck or a first-aid van to their young customers than a flatbed truck, even one in Falck colors.
Understandably, this model wasn’t very successful. It was always very difficult to find. Whenever I saw one for sale at a Scandinavian toy fair, I never missed it.
This week, we have a splendid example for sale. This model is fragile. Its price is reasonable, and you should appreciate the rarity of this piece before displaying it in a showcase.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Tekno – Dodge camion benne Falck Redningskorps 731
Rare is the adjective that perfectly describes the products of the Spanish brand Invicta. I remember an anecdote. In 1980, as a budding collector, my father asked the Parisian dealer mentioned earlier for his opinion on an Invicta Peugeot 403 being offered at the Toymania show in Paris. The dealer explained that he could wait to find one for less.
We waited thirty years to find it again… and we paid much more for it!
This week, the model offered is affordable. These models are loosely based on models produced by Quiralu, C-I-J, or Dinky Toys. However, there are some significant differences that allowed Invicta to avoid the wrath of the manufacturers who had designed the originals. This week we have a beautiful Mercedes 300SL inspired by the Quiralu version. Invicta slightly modified its copy by adding rather unsightly skid plates to the rear fenders. The chassis is stamped with the Invicta logo. It’s a rare and interesting model.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Invicta – Mercedes 300sl
The same applies to this Triumph TR3 from Marx, made in Japan. During the 1950s, before being overtaken by Mattel, Marx was the world’s largest toy manufacturer and distributor. The American company produced numerous lines of miniature cars, in all scales and materials.
It’s worth remembering that before World War II, the American market was flooded with Japanese toys.
I like to draw a parallel with Chinese toy manufacturing today. I see similarities, particularly the idea of producing toys of a certain quality at a lower cost.
In November, in Allentown, I found an extraordinary collection of lead toys made for the American market. After the war, with the defeat and the occupation, the toys were produced with the humiliating label “made in occupied Japan.” Very quickly, Japanese manufacturers redoubled their imagination and creativity. They seemed equally adept at producing toys in tin, plastic, and lead.
Modèles japonais pour le marché américain COLLECTION AUTOJAUNE
This week we have a rare Triumph TR3 from Kuramochi Shoten (the manufacturer’s name) produced for Marx, in a series called “Collectoy” which was exclusively intended for the American market.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Marx – Triumph TR3 avec Mickey
Marx had a major contract with the Walt Disney Company, and the Japanese developed a version based on the original model, featuring one of the Disney characters behind the wheel. You can find Mickey, Goofy, or Donald Duck at the wheel. If you have young children, it’s guaranteed to be a hit this Christmas! This product has always been rare and desirable.
MARX cabriolet Jaguar, MG et Triumph COLLECTION AUTOJAUNE
Marx personnage Disney et Marx COLLECTION AUTOJAUNE
Let’s stick with the rare. This time it’s the color that makes the difference. We have a luminous orange Lincoln Continental from Mercury. This color, which I love, is often synonymous with rarity at Mercury.
Modèle en vente cette semaine : Mercury – Lincoln Continental MkII 4
I had fun taking a picture of a set of Mercury miniatures in this color. It’s true that the color variations of Mercury miniatures have been a subject that has occupied me for almost fifty years, and this Lincoln is, I dare say, very rare in this shade.
Mercury ensemble de voitures « orange » COLLECTION AUTOJAUNE
My favorite is a set of handcrafted designs scheduled for this week.
The first model, the MRE Porsche Carrera RSR Martini, brings back memories of my teenage years.
We would occasionally go to Bois-Colombes, where Michel Elkoubi, the owner of the MRE brand, lived, to pick up assembled models or kits. I remember very well the garage where his 2-liter Lola T296 was kept, the car he had driven in the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans… I can also picture Dominique Esarcieux at his workbench, assembling models.
Later, he would go on to create his own brand, “Esdo.” This Porsche is heavily inspired by the one produced by AMR, the famous “22” from the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The MRE version replicates the one that raced in the USA at Watkins Glen in 1974. It differs from the versions that raced in Europe by the addition of Martini & Rossi advertisements on the bodywork.
These white metal kits have aged remarkably well. It’s a real pleasure to rediscover them. I never imagined I’d one day look at them with such nostalgia. These vintage kits possess the charm of a bygone era.
While resin is now the standard among modern manufacturers, white metal reigned supreme in the 70s and 90s.
Fanciers enjoyed working with this material, which was easier to work with and more forgiving of mistakes. I even find myself appreciating their minor imperfections: less refined engraving, coarser details.
modèle en vente cette semaine : MRE – Porsche Carrera RSR Martini&Rossi Watkins Glen 1974
Next, we have two RD Marmande models.
These products divide the world of model car enthusiasts. You just have to understand their context to appreciate them.
Raymond Daffaure allowed a number of enthusiasts to dream, providing them with models they never imagined they would own. I find that quite extraordinary.
When he started shortly before the beginning of the 1960s, kit manufacturers didn’t exist.
I imagine the Auto Union scheduled for release this week was surely commissioned by an enthusiast who owned this car. It will be a very long time before we see another reproduction.
As with the assembled kits from the 1980s described above, I appreciate their imperfections and flaws.
This is an integral part of the object, unique and made entirely by hand with passion by one man.
modèle en vente cette semaine : RD Marmande – Monica berline V8 Chrysler
modèle en vente cette semaine : RD Marmande – Auto Union 1000SP coupé 1961
Vincent Espinasse
also on sale this week
